Sound of Love
by NoSoundButTheWind
Summary: Mainly Zukaang drabbles, all based on songs! Try to guess which song for each drabble!
1. Drunk

**Ok, here we go with the first drabble! This one is Zukaang, of course. Try to guess the song that influenced it. The first person to guess correctly, tell me what song or what sort of idea you'd like me to use for the next drabble! I prefer Zukaang as a pairing, but I am willing to consider others. Just not Zutara, please. Sorry! **

**Disclaimer: I don't own ATLA.**

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The 2nd annual Peace Celebration, commemorating the end of the war between the Fire Nation and the rest of the world, was something Zuko had been looking forward to for many months. His never-ending duties as Fire Lord didn't allow him much time to spend with all his old friends, who were busy with their own responsibilities. Katara was serving as ambassador for the Southern Water tribe, so he saw her several times a year for meetings. Sokka traveled between the North and South tribes as a mediator. Kyoshi Island, where Suki was training a new crop of Kyoshi warriors with Ty-Lee teaching the skill of chi-blocking, was also a place he frequented. Toph was working on forming a school where she would be able to teach metalbending to worthy earthbenders. Mai was a representative for the Fire Nation citizens living in the colonies. Aang was the person Zuko saw the most of; they were working closely together to rebuild a new world where the Fire Nation was no longer feared and hated.

They all tried to get together as often as possible, but their separate tasks made it hard to do so more than a few times a year. They had all made a vow that no matter what, they would always meet on the anniversary of the day they had saved the world. The Fire Nation palace was the most convenient place to meet, and as Sokka liked to say, they had the biggest party (people from all nations and all classes were invited) and the most food.

The celebration had gone well so far, with Zuko delivering his speech, many toasts, and dancing.

It was well into the late hours of the night and Zuko suddenly realized that he hadn't seen Aang in nearly half-an-hour. This was odd; usually the girl stayed close to him and talked incessantly whenever they had the opportunity to be together and not talk about work-related things. He began to scan the room. Where the Avatar was, there would surely be a large crowd.

It didn't take him long to see that there was a mob of mostly men surrounding the drink station, all peering at something in the middle. They laughed suddenly, and Zuko heard the unmistakable sound of Aang's high giggles as well.

Toph was suddenly at his side. "You might want to go rescue your girlfriend. I think she's had a little too much fire-whiskey…"

Zuko glared at his blind friend. "She's not my girlfriend!"

Toph smirked. "Oh yeah? Then why does your heart rate speed up whenever she touches you? There is no way you're just friends."

Zuko didn't waste time arguing with the girl; they had had the conversation before. He got up from his seat and approached the crowd of men.

"Excuse me. I think you've all had quite enough to drink."

They all turned at the sound of his voice and their eyes widened as they saw who was addressing them. They dispersed rather quickly.

Aang had been at the center of the circle, of course. She sat cross-legged, Momo in her lap. Her face brightened when she saw Zuko.

"Hey, Zuko! Great party, huh?" Her voice was slightly slurred as she lurched to her feet, clutching the lemur against her chest.

Zuko felt anger beginning to fill him. How could anyone let a thirteen year old drink that much? How had it happened at his own party? Where was Katara when you needed her?

"Zuko, have you tried this drink?" She held out a glass of fire-whiskey. "I don't know what it is, but it makes you so happy! Maybe you should have some!"

Zuko sighed. Of course she hadn't known what she was drinking; the men probably had thought it would be funny to get her drunk. He made a mental note to track them down later and teach them a lesson they wouldn't soon forget…

"Aang, that's fire-whiskey. And I think you've had a little too much of it." He took the glass from her outstretched hand and set it on a nearby table.

The inebriated girl laughed. "No, I don't drink that stuff, Zuko. That can't be what I was drinking, see, 'cause I don't drink that stuff." She started to sit down again, but Zuko grabbed her arm and kept her standing.

"Oh no, I think you had better get to bed." He pulled her gently along behind him as he began to leave the party area.

Katara rushed over. "What's wrong with Aang?" Her voice was concerned and angry. "Toph told me to come find you." She looked at her younger friend and her eyebrows rose. "Wait… is she… drunk?"

Zuko nodded. "Yeah, apparently she didn't know what she was drinking though, so don't get angry at her. Some guys fooled her into it. I knew it wasn't a good idea to let anyone come to this party, but of course Aang insisted."

Katara's eyes flashed in anger. "Ok, I'll take care of Aang, you go find those guys!"

Aang shook her head and snuggled herself against Zuko's side. "Mmm, no, 'Tara. Zuko and I are going to bed, you should enjoy the party!"

"You and Zuko?" Katara turned to glare at Zuko, clearly assuming that the firebender was going to take advantage of Aang's current state.

"No, she's confused. I'm taking her to her own bedroom, then I'm coming back here, ok?" He was becoming impatient. Aang was basically leaning her full weight against him and yawning.

"I'll just sleep right here." Aang began to slide down Zuko's side, clearly intending to curl up on the floor and take a nice, long nap.

Zuko scooped up the small girl in his arms and she giggled before pushing her face into the side of his neck. He unconsciously clutched her tighter, possessively.

Katara kept a wary eye on them as they left. Zuko felt like everyone was watching him as he left with Aang in his arms. He heard some girls whispering, "They make the perfect pair!" He felt his face get red and he picked up the pace.

Aang hummed against his neck as they walked down the empty hallway towards her room. "You're so warm, Zuko. It's nice." She snuggled herself against his chest.

They reached her room far too quickly for Zuko's liking. It felt nice holding her in his arms. He plopped her down on her bed and she gave a cry of indignation.

"Now I'm cold! Pick me up again. Or come down here." She looked at him with a sly smile.

"No, Aang, I have to get back to the celebration. Everyone's going to be wondering where I went." He didn't add that Katara would be getting suspicious if he took much longer.

She flopped down on the bed in defeat. "Aww, ok. Can you help me off with this dress first?" She was sounding like she would drop off to sleep at any moment.

Zuko stood with his hands at his sides, hesitant. Aang was obviously in no state to be able to get her complicated, fancy dress off by herself, but he didn't want to start undressing her! What if Katara suddenly came in? Aang stretched her arms out to him like a toddler and whined.

"Zuko!" She began to struggle with the dress herself, but had trouble untying the bow in the back.

"Ok, I'll help you." He sat on the bed beside her and reached behind her to untie the complicated knot.

She smiled and nestled herself into his arms again. His heart skipped a beat.

Zuko finished untying the knot and slid the sleeves off of her slim shoulders. He stood up. "Ok, you can do the rest."

Aang pouted, but stood up and slid the dress down her body, stepping out of it.

Zuko averted his eyes. "Ok, good night, then." He turned to step out of the room.

"Zuko?" Her voice was so sweet; he couldn't resist walking back over to her.

"Yeah?" He looked down at her tenderly.

She didn't say anything, but peered into his eyes. Suddenly she had risen to her knees and her hands were resting lightly on either side of his face. Her lips touched his gently and the kiss was over before he could even realize what was happening. She sat back down in the bed. "Good night, Zuko."

His self-control was broken. He pulled her towards him and crashed their lips together in a passionate kiss. She responded eagerly and he found himself pushing her backwards, falling forward onto the bed over her. He pulled away after some time, realizing that he might be making a mistake. Aang was drunk; her affections might just be a result of that.

She pulled him back down and kissed him again, but this time he resisted. "You shouldn't kiss me like this. Unless you mean it like that. If it's only because you're drunk, I should leave."

Aang blinked at him through the darkness. When she spoke, her voice sounded much clearer than it had earlier. The fire-whiskey might have been wearing off, or she was just making sure to articulate her words very clearly. "Zuko, I mean it. I've wanted to kiss you for so long, you have no idea. It's just, you were with Mai before, and then we're both always so busy, and I was scared you didn't like me-"

He cut her off. "If you do, kiss me again." He leaned down towards her.

She smiled and pressed her lips to his. Her arms came around his neck.

Zuko felt kind of guilty for thinking it, but he was quite glad Aang hadn't known that she was drinking fire-whiskey after all.

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**Any idea what song it is? Here's a hint: it is country (which is surprising since I hate most country songs) and several of the lyrics are directly spoken by characters. Good luck! **


	2. Honor Part I

_**Congratulations to BoredomIsAnUnderstatement, who correctly guessed the song that influenced the first drabble; You Shouldn't Kiss Me Like This by Toby Keith. Thanks for your review!**_

_**Ok, second songfic! This is part one of a three-part story. I'll post the others as I write them; they will not all be the same song, but they will all be songs by the same artist/band! **_

_**Background: Zuko made the right decision and joined the Gaang in Ba Sing Se in the 'Crossroads of Destiny' episode. Unfortunately, they still lost to Azula and the Dai Lee…**_

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"We need to talk. Everyone's worried about the way you've been acting. Especially Katara." The scarred teen stood in the doorway of the younger boy's room.

"I'm fine. Everyone should stop worrying." Aang shifted on the bed so his back was turned to Zuko. His voice was bitter.

Zuko began to wonder why he had come. He stepped forward tentatively into the room. He would never admit it, but he was a little afraid of the Avatar's anger. Even in battle, he had never seen the boy this cold and unfeeling. And he wasn't entirely sure if he himself wasn't to blame for all this. If Aang wouldn't talk to Katara, why would he talk to him? He probably still considered Zuko an enemy, even though the others had accepted him into their small group.

"I think I know what's bothering you. You don't like the fact that everyone thinks you're dead, do you? You don't want people to think you failed."

"You're right, I don't. But the problem is, I did fail!" Aang stood, his arm wrapping around his midsection as pain from his injuries flooded his body.

"That's not true." Trying to comfort someone else was quite a foreign thing for Zuko, but he tried to just imagine what his uncle would say. In fact, why wasn't Uncle the one down here talking to the Avatar? He would probably be much more effective.

"It is true! I was in Ba Sing Se. I was there! But I lost. And now the Earth Kingdom has fallen for good."

"It's not for good. What about the invasion plan?"

The younger boy's anger only increased as his voice rose. "And I hate the invasion plan too!" He used one arm to rip down the Fire Nation tapestry hanging above the bed. "I don't want anyone else risking their lives to fix my mistakes!"

Zuko lowered his voice in an attempt to help Aang calm down. "Avatar…"

"Zuko, just go. Please." Aang sat back down on the bed, clearly tired from his violent outburst.

Zuko reluctantly turned to leave. "Is there anything you need that Katara can bring down for you?"

"I need to redeem myself. I need my honor back."

Zuko stopped. "Well, I know all about that. My whole life for practically four years was about regaining my honor. If that's the issue, then I know best."

"I told you to leave. I'm tired; I want to sleep. You can tell everyone I'm just… not the same." The injured boy lay down, his back still towards Zuko.

Zuko approached hesitantly, sitting lightly on the bed. He was really wondering why he had come now. The boy clearly was not in the talking mood. "Look, you're wrong. You haven't lost your honor. You fought the best you could. That's all any of us can do. You did lose this time. But that doesn't mean you've failed the world."

Aang twisted around to look at his former enemy. His eyes were narrowed. "Get. Out. Now!"

Zuko left, not wanting to aggravate Aang any further. Judging by the hatred he'd been shown by the Avatar, it did not look like Zuko would be accepted by all the members of the group. Somewhere along in the bitterness, Zuko had lost the potential to be Aang's friend.

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**_So, any idea what the song is? This song is much more common than the last one. If you are the first one to guess the song correctly, tell me what you'd like me to do for the next drabble and I will obey! :)_ **


	3. Orphan

**_Hello everyone, thanks for the reviews and to everyone reading! Zingfox guessed the song that inspired the previous drabble; How to Save a Life by the Fray! No one's been giving me ideas for what to write for future drabbles though. :( I am willing to consider any idea! Anyways, on to the next one! _**

**_Disclaimer: I do not own ATLA. _**

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Zuko hadn't seen Aang in almost six months and it was killing him. The thirteen-year old monk had been traveling all over, trying to find a trace of any other remaining airbenders. After finding the group of Sky Bison, Aang's search for his people had been undertaken with increased vigor. The nations were in a state of peace, at the moment anyways, so the Avatar was able to focus on this task. Appa and Momo were his only travel companions. While he would have loved to have his friends join him, they had their own duties to attend to and the nomadic lifestyle did not suit them as well.

The Fire Lord had received a messenger hawk almost a week ago with a note from his young airbending friend stating that he was going to take a brief break and visit Zuko at the Fire Nation Palace. Zuko missed Aang more than he ever thought he would and he couldn't wait to see the other boy. Today was the day Aang was scheduled to arrive, and everyone in the palace was preparing the estate according to Zuko's orders. He wanted to make sure that Aang would have a relaxing stay. And, hopefully, a long one.

Zuko was busy signing papers in the throne room when a guard came in to announce that Appa had been spotted, the Avatar at the reins.

"Thank you. Be sure to have the stables readied for the Avatar's bison."

The guard left the room and Zuko stood, pushing the papers into a neat pile. He would sign the rest of them later.

Aang and Appa landed in the gardens, a habit of the monk's that Zuko had tried to break. It always scared the turtle-ducks, but Aang claimed it was the nicest place to land. Appa greeted Zuko with a friendly groan and the eighteen-year old reached up to rub the bison's forehead affectionately.

Aang airbended himself down from Appa's head and beamed a smile at Zuko. The monk had grown taller and looked even more grown up from when Zuko had seen him last.

"Aang! It's great to see you!" Zuko walked forward, arms spread wide to give his best friend a hug. Zuko had learned quickly that Aang did not accept a bow as a proper greeting. And Zuko certainly didn't mind. Aang rushed forward into the embrace as he normally would, but he didn't hug quite as tightly as Zuko had come to expect. As he embraced Aang, he suddenly felt a weird protrusion on Aang's chest. Zuko stepped away and got a good look at Aang. He was wearing his normal orange and brown monk robes, but he had a darker brown sling across the front of his chest. And there was something moving in the sling. A pudgy little fist shot out and a shrill cry rang through the gardens.

Zuko's mouth fell open. "Aang, do not tell me there is a baby in that sling."

Aang blushed and rubbed the back of his head. "Umm…" He patted the baby soothingly and bounced up and down on his heels until its crying subsided. "The thing is… there is."

"Ok… is this baby yours?" Zuko didn't expect the monk to be a father so soon, especially since he knew Katara and Aang were no longer together, but after all girls did practically throw themselves at the "world's savior" and Aang did need to repopulate his race if he couldn't find any airbenders. He felt bitter jealousy rising in his chest.

Aang's arms tightened possessively around the baby. "Yes, she's mine. Ok, well, not biologically mine. But I'm her father now." He peered down at the baby with tenderness in his eyes.

"So you just found a random baby somewhere?"

Aang frowned. "She's not a random baby. Her name is Emi."

Zuko's eyebrows rose. "Would you and Emi like to come inside? Dinner will be served in just a few minutes."

Aang nodded with a smile and followed Zuko inside the palace. "I'll tell you her story at dinner, ok? Judging by the sound of her cry just a few minutes ago, she needs her diaper changed."

Zuko looked down at Aang. "You don't need any help, do you? I have no experience whatsoever with babies. I mean, I was only two when Azula was born and she wasn't exactly a normal baby…"

Aang laughed. "Don't worry, you don't have to help! I've changed her dozens of times by myself. Am I in the same room as always?"

Zuko nodded. He was still trying to get the concept into his brain that Aang had a baby strapped to his chest and that he was apparently playing father to. They arrived at the room that had been prepared for Aang and walked inside. Aang undid the sling and nestled the baby into the crook of his arm as he pulled some clean cloths out of his shirt. He spread one out on the bed and laid Emi beside it. Expertly, he removed the baby's pants and clearly soiled diaper. Water was drawn out from the pouch that was secured to his hip and he cleaned the infant before wrapping her in the fresh cloth diaper and pulling her pants back on. All this was achieved in under five minutes. The baby gurgled as Aang picked her up again and turned to face Zuko.

"All right, we're ready to eat!"

Aang could tell that Zuko was more than a little shocked that he had shown up with a baby. He prepared to tell the story of how he and Emi had come to be together. First, he settled the girl on his knee and proceeded to spoon a selection of mashed vegetables into her mouth.

"I was in a small Earth Nation village where I had decided to spend the night. This was about two weeks ago; a week before I sent you the hawk telling you I was going to come visit. Anyways, I was looking for somewhere to stay. An old lady named Wei invited me to her house and said she had an extra room, if I didn't mind sharing it with a baby. It was either that or the forest, so I accepted. I was running low on supplies and she told me she always cooked plenty of food for dinner in case any travelers were passing through. At dinner, she told me about Emi, the baby she was taking care of." Aang looked down sadly at the baby in his lap. "Emi's family was killed in the war. Wei knew Emi's mother so she decided to take care of the baby. Wei's not as young as she used to be though, as she likes to put it. She did her best with Emi, but she can't care for a baby at her age. She's been doing it for almost six months now. Emi's nearly twelve months. I saw how worn down Wei was…. So, I volunteered to take Emi to an orphanage in one of the bigger cities nearby."

Zuko's food was growing cold as he listened intently. "But you didn't. Why not?"

"Well, we flew there. The orphanage was really nice. But there were so many kids there already. When the lady who runs it reached out to take Emi, I couldn't do it. I couldn't give her up."

As if she knew they were talking about her, Emi let her head fall back and looked at Aang with a goofy smile on her face. Emi's eyes were the color of jade and the small amount of fuzzy hair she had was dark brown, but the expression on her face right then was one Zuko had seen many times before on Aang. Aang smiled back at the baby.

"She didn't have anyone left in the world. I knew what it was like to feel that way. I didn't want her to grow up alone. So I told the people at the orphanage that I had made a mistake coming there and that Emi belonged with me. Then I wrote you that letter and came straight here."

"So you're going to raise her." However touching Aang's story was, Zuko couldn't see how Aang's Avatar duties would fit in with raising a baby. Not to mention, the boy was only thirteen. "Aang, you can't travel around the world with a baby."

"I know. I wanted to talk to you about that." Aang's voice was hopeful. "I want to stay here, if you'll let me. Of course I'll have to leave sometimes for Avatar stuff, but I'd like this to be Emi's home. And my home. But, only if you're ok with it! I mean, if you don't want a baby in the palace that's totally fine and we can just, you know, find someone else to stay with and-"

Zuko cut off Aang's rambling. "Of course you can stay here!" Zuko didn't add that he missed Aang with every fiber of his being when they weren't together and that he would be ecstatic to have the boy live with him. The palace seemed very empty sometimes. He also didn't add that he had finally realized, with his uncle's help, that the feelings he had for the young Avatar were much more than platonic. Uncle Iroh had urged his nephew to act on those feelings, but Zuko refused to. There was no way Aang felt the same way and he didn't want to scare his best friend away for good.

Aang stood up from his seat at the table and shifted Emi to his right hip. "Thanks Zuko!" He stepped around the table to give his friend a one-armed hug.

Zuko smiled. "It'll be nice to have you here. We can find a good nurse-maid to take care of Emi for those times when you have to leave."

"Do you want to hold her?" Aang beamed happily at his friend and held the baby out to him.

Zuko hesitantly took the baby and cradled her in his arms. She cooed up at him.

"Dada! Dada, dada, dada!" Her small hands reached towards his face.

Zuko looked at Aang, his eyes wide. "I think you better take her!" He handed the baby back to Aang.

Aang laughed. "She's been doing that for a while now."

Emi repeated herself, looking back and forth between Aang and Zuko. "Dada! Dada!"

Aang looked down at her with adoration. "Yeah, sweetie, you have two dadas now." He looked at Zuko. "I hope that's ok. She can't actually pronounce people's names yet."

Zuko swallowed. "Dada works."

Luckily, a crib was found and placed in Aang's room and he was able to put Emi to bed. She fell asleep quickly and Aang snuck out of the room. Zuko stood outside in the hallway. Aang greeted him with another hug, this time wrapping both arms tightly around Zuko's waist. "Thanks again! Emi and I are so grateful."

Zuko tried to ignore the feelings of desire rising in him as they walked right across the hallway to his own room. "You really care a lot about that little baby, don't you?"

"Yeah. Like I said, I'm her father now. I won't let her grow up as an orphan."

They entered Zuko's large quarters and Aang flopped on the bed. "She can be quite a handful though. Luckily she's gotten pretty good at sleeping through the night."

Zuko removed his heavier outer robes and sat down next to the airbender. "You still seem tired."

Aang yawned."Yeah, I don't know how Wei did it at her age." He sat up and leaned into Zuko, his head coming to rest on Zuko's shoulder. His eyes closed as he yawned again. "Did I tell you how much I missed you?"

Zuko felt a blush creeping over his cheeks. "I missed you too, Aang." He resisted the urge to kiss the top of the monk's head.

With another yawn, Aang stood up. "I guess I should probably get to bed. I'll see you in the morning?"

Zuko wanted to grab Aang and kiss him, tell him that he didn't have to leave, he could sleep right here if he wanted to. But he didn't. He stood and said good night like a normal friend would. Aang left, and Zuko went to sleep with regret.

A loud wailing woke Zuko a few hours after he had drifted off to sleep. He got out of bed and put a robe on before heading across the hallway to Aang's room.

Aang was standing by the crib, wearing only a pair of sleeping pants. He turned as Zuko came into the room. Emi was in his arms, her face red and scrunched from crying.

"Sorry! I think it's just because she's in a new place, she's having trouble sleeping." He rocked back and forth, rubbing the baby's back soothingly.

Zuko rubbed the remnants of sleep out of his eyes and sat down on Aang's bed. "It's ok. But if you can make her stop before she wakes up the whole palace, that would probably be good."

Aang grinned sheepishly. "Ok, I'll do my best." He sat down on the bed and cradled the girl. "This usually works." He started humming, and eventually began to softly sing.

"_Moon river wider than a mile _

_I'm crossing you in style someday _

_Oh dream maker, you heartbreaker _

_Wherever you're going I'm going your way _

_Two drifters off to see the world _

_There's such a lot of world to see _

_We're after the same rainbow's end _

_Waiting 'round the bend _

_My huckleberry friend, moon river and me."_

Emi was fast asleep by the time he was finished and Zuko found himself almost asleep too. Aang stood slowly and placed the baby back in her crib gently. When he walked back over to the bed Zuko didn't resist his impulses anymore. He pulled Aang down towards him and kissed the boy briefly.

Aang stood, his mouth slightly open. Zuko was just about to flee from the room when Aang suddenly cracked a smile and whispered something.

"I guess you like the old Air Nomad lullabies too?" He sat down again and looked at Zuko coyly.

Since Aang wasn't screaming, Zuko took it as a sign that he wouldn't mind if he kissed him again. So he did just that, this time leaning more into the kiss and moving his lips a little more urgently. He almost exploded in happiness when he felt Aang responding.

Before either of them knew what was happening, Zuko 's robe was on the floor and Aang was on top of him, his legs on either side of Zuko's hips, hands tangled in the Fire Lord's hair. They kissed passionately, finally breaking apart for air. Aang rolled off and lay on the bed next to Zuko. He curled himself into Zuko's side and whispered something that Zuko could barely hear.

"I love you, Zuko."

Zuko turned and wrapped his arms around the smaller boy, and uttered the words he thought he would never say. "I love you too, Aang."

Aang lifted his head and kissed Zuko again."Now Emi really does have two daddys."

Zuko smiled and pulled Aang even tighter against him. "I'll try to be the best father I can to her. I don't have a lot of experience, but I promise I'll do my best. This might certainly be the weirdest family that has ever lived in the palace." He finished with a quiet chuckle, being careful not to wake Aang's, and now his, daughter.

Aang pressed his forehead against Zuko's. "You know, there are a lot of kids who were left orphaned by the war or for some other reason. I never thought it would be fun being an only child…"

Judging by the look Aang was giving him, they might turn out to be the largest family to ever live in the palace as well. Zuko saw many trips to orphanages in his future…

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**_Yeah, ok, so the song in this one's a little obvious... Please review and let me know what you think! And give me an idea for the next one, it doesn't have to be Zukaang but I do feel like that's the pairing I write best. Thanks! _**


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